Car Isn`t Dirty---But It`s Covered in Yellow Pollen Dust! Help!

[globe9]

I washed the black Rogue last Saturday and since it hasn`t rained since, it actually still looks great. Was expecting a weekend off from washing it. The GF and I left this house this morning around 10am to run errands and we just got home. When we pulled into the driveway, I noticed that my previously clean car is covered in yellow pollen dust. Now I`m freaking out LOL I have plans tonight and for tomorrow, so won`t be able to spend 2-3 hours washing it. The GF told me to just hose it off, but that`s not really an option as then it`d be covered in water spots since while it looked clean to me, I don`t trust trying to dry it off without washing it(don`t want to mar).



Is there anything quick I can do? My GF thinks I`m crazy b/c she said I`ll clean it this evening and it`ll have yellow dust on it again tomorrow. I don`t have a garage, so it has to be outside unfortunately.



What would ya`ll do? Especially considering she`s right and it probably will have dust on it again tomorrow, and Monday, and Tuesday......you get the picture...it`s just that time of year. Will it really mess up the paint? I have AG HD on there now...applied about 3 weeks ago.

[JohnKleven]

If the wax is still on the car, you may be able to blow the pollen off with compressed air. Otherwise, I would just hose it off and dry it with a microfiber drying towel.

[globe9]

You don`t think that might mar the finish? The car looked good, but that`s not to say there wasn`t some small dirt/dust particles on it. I`m kinda nervous about just hosing it off and drying, but maybe I`m just being too OCD?



I do have some Meg`s Ultimate Detailer. Should I use that? I just don`t want to add any minor swirls, scratches, etc. BUT I also don`t want to have to wash the car everyday either LOL



I really need apply that FK1000p and see if the pollen dust will just fly off if I take the Rogue for a spin :)

[08Sunburst]

Sounds like you need to invest in some ONR :)



hose it off to get the big stuff off, then use onr to do a quick waterless wash.

[Dr. Woo]

The California Car Duster (http://amzn.com/B00008RW9U) (also available at many brick-and-mortars) is the quickest, most effective weapon against pollen I`ve encountered. It has very soft cleaning threads coated in a type of liquid wax that just lifts dirt and dust right off the car. It demolishes pollen.

[imported_Gears]

:cheer2: Congratulations !

I think you are the winner for the first pollen post of the year.

Many,many more will be coming soon.

[globe9]

LOL....I`m in New Orleans...it was 80 degrees outside today. We get Spring very early down here in the deep South.



I went and bought a California Car Duster today from Advance Auto today and also ran it through a touchless wash to get the heavy pollen off. Just didn`t have time for a complete hand wash today at all, but needed to get the pollen off. Will do a complete hand wash next weekend(weather permitting) and I`m going to use some FK 1000P on it. Hopefully that will help keep the car slick and the pollen will just "fly" off when I`m driving...is that just wishful thinking? What`s my best bet? I can`t garage it. Will try the Car Duster after it finishes its 48 hours on the newspaper :)



Thanks and sorry about the pollen post, but it just happened yesterday. No pollen before that.

[amcdonal86]

The CCD won`t work if you have wet the car already, even after it dries. You can only really use it on loose pollen that hasn`t gotten wet at any point.



Be careful with the CCD. It seems to cause light scratches/marring on my black XJ, even if I use the lightest pressure!

[Accumulator]

I consider pollen to be just another type of dirt. I might blow it off with the compressor as per John Kleven`s suggestion, but other than that I stick to my "no touching between regular washes". Whether the pollen is bad enough for one of those regular washes is another matter...

[amcdonal86]

Does anyone know where to get a cheap air compressor? Is there one that can be run off a cigarette lighter/outlet in the car?

[JohnZ3MC]

It isn`t cheap but it it has the Griot`s guarantee.

12-Volt Air Compressor - Griot`s Garage (http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/tools/air+tools/12+volt+air+compressor.do)

[Accumulator]

I dunno if a 12v unit is gonna have the oomph for blowing pollen/dust off a vehicle :think: My little one (for emergency tire inflation) sure won`t handle it.

[Kean]

You might be better off with an electric leaf blower rather than an air compressor (especially a cheap one). I have decent compressor and while I use it for a lot of things (air tools, as compressed air, filling tires, etc.), I prefer to mostly use my Craftsman shop vac/blower combo for drying and coaxing loose dust/dirt from my vehicles. I usually stick with a "no touch" policy as well between washings but will occasionally use the blower just to get the loose stuff off. The only things I will touch are the windows and perhaps the wheels with something like an ONR wash.

[Mark77]

I`d just leave it alone..your GF is right, you will have to wash it everyday to keep it perfect when there is pollen in the air.. I don`t think the pollen dust will hurt the paint.. It`s another thing with road salt/sand, that I sometimes just hose of(esp the under the car and wheel wells) between washes so it won`t sit and corrode for too long...The water here don`t leave any difficult spots(the next normal wash will take care of them)...

[Corgidog59]

I have used a Swifer on my car to remove pollen. It does a great job. I use up to 3 replacement clothes per car. I think it is more effective than a California Duster as the pollen can really foul up it up. Then no soon then you wash it, it loses its ability to pick up dust. The only drawback to a swifer is the head size is rather small.